Brier: Howard beats Martin in playoff game

LONDON, Ont. — Ontario’s Glenn Howard defeated Alberta’s Kevin Martin 5-4 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the semifinal at the Tim Hortons Brier. Howard scored two in the 10th end for the victory in the 3-4 Page Playoff game at the John Labatt Centre. Howard will play Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador in the evening game for a berth in Sunday night’s final against Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton. It was Howard’s first win as a skip over Martin in eight career games at the Brier. “Obviously it’s nice to beat Kevin, they’re the best team in the world,” Howard said. “So we were pretty pumped.” Martin missed an angle raise with his final throw to give Howard the victory. “It was unfortunate, I hate to lose but that’s the way it goes,” Martin said. With the loss, Martin will play in the bronze medal game Sunday afternoon against the loser of the semifinal. Both teams were steady early on, with Howard scoring a pair in the fifth end for a 3-2 lead. That score held up until the eighth end, when Martin drew to the button for a single. Martin stole one in the ninth end when Howard barely touched the Alberta stone with his rock. The pin was barely visible but both rinks agreed the Alberta stone was closer and it was verified by an umpire. Martin shot 85 per cent in the game while Howard finished at 76 per cent. Howard had just over an hour to get ready for his next game against Gushue, who dropped a 7-6 decision to Stoughton in the 1-2 Page Playoff game on Friday night. Gushue won Olympic gold in 2006 but is still looking for his first Brier victory. Manitoba hasn’t won a Brier since Stoughton’s last victory in 1999. Stoughton won his first Brier in 1996 and went on to take the world title. Howard won his last Brier in 2007. Manitoba went 9-2 in round-robin play and looked impressive again Friday. Third Jon Mead said his rink is excited to be one win away from a championship. “You’re just sitting there in amazement that you got there, especially against the guys that we’ve had to play to get there,” Mead said. “To be at only two losses against this field after this many games is something.” The Brier winner will represent Canada at the Ford world men’s curling championship starting April 2 in Regina. The winner also receives a berth into the 2011 Canada Cup in Cranbrook, B.C., and the 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup in Langley, B.C. Notes: Overall attendance is closing in on the 100,000 mark. A total of 6,472 fans watched the 3-4 game to push the overall mark to 91,104. The Brier attendance record of 281,985 was set in Edmonton in 2005. … London last hosted the Brier in 1974 at the London Gardens. Alberta’s Hec Gervais was victorious. … The Brier final has been played in Eastern prime time every year since 2003 in Halifax. … Alberta has won 25 Briers, second only to Manitoba’s 26, since it began in 1927 in Toronto. … Martin won Briers in 1991, 1997, 2008 and 2009. He won his first world title in 2008 and captured Olympic gold last year in Vancouver. … Howard, a three-time Canadian and world champion, is making his 13th Brier appearance. He’s just one behind the record of 14 held by his brother, Russ Howard, who is working as a commentator this week.